Electronic bonding machine



H HACKLANDER 2,623,156

ELECTRONIC BONDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Shet 1 Jmzezfoz Wares J/aclanden Filed 001. 20, 1949 Dec. 23, 1952 H. HACKLANDER 2,523,155

ELECTRONIC BONDING MACHINE Filed 001;; 20, 1949 3 Sheets- Sheot 2 Javenfaz J/ans J/acklander I Z Pi: y l Uffoyeey Patented Dec. 23, 1952 ELECTRONIC BONDING MACHINE Hans Hacklander, Linden, N. J assigncr to The Singer Manufacturing Company,

Elizabeth,

N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application October 20, 1949, Serial No. 122,421

3 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for bonding together superposed pliesof dielectric materials by passingthe' plies through a radio-frequency field to produce heat in the plies and applying pressure to the plies while they are within the field.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved machine for making tubular articles such as sleeves of raincoats and the like, which machine feeds the material off the free end of a tubular shaped arm and the feeding mechanism is actuated by adjustable belts arranged within the confines of the arm.

Other objects of this invention are the provision of improved means for adjusting the driving belts which actuate the feed-wheels and for conducting the radio-frequency current to the electrodes. j

With the above and otherobjects in view, as will hereinafterappear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an electronic bonding machine embodying the invention. v

Fig. 2 is a left side elevationof the machine shown in Fig. 1, the laterally extending tubular work-supporting arm being shown in section and the face-plate of the bracket-arm removed to expose the operating parts.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmental sectional views taken substantially along the lines 64 and 5--5 of Fig. 1.

In the embodiment of the invention selected for illustration, the machine comprises a standard carrying an overhanging arm H which terminates in a hollow-head l2. J ournaled in bearings 13 and H! in the arm ii is a main shaft I having a combined pulley and hand-wheel I6 secured to its out-board end. The pulley 16 may be connected to any suitable source of power for the purpose of rotating the shaft 15. W

The hollow-head I2 is provided with vertically aligned bearings I! and I8 (Fig. 2 in which an endwise reciprocatory electrode carrying bar I9 is journaled. The bar [9 is urged downwardly by a coilcompression spring 20 which surrounds the bar l9 and reacts between the upper bearing l8 2 and a split collar 2] adjustably clamped to the bar [9. Clamped to the upper end of the bar [9 is a split collar 22 carrying a laterally extending pin 23 having a roller 24 journaled thereon. The roller 24 is located above and cooperates with an eccentric 25 fixed on the free end of the main shaft 15. From the above it will be understood that, when the shaft I5 is rotated, the eccentric 25 will engage the roller 24 and raise the electrode bar [9 against the action of the spring 20 through a part of each revolution of the shaft, and will then move away from the roller and permit the spring 20 to force the bar downwardly during the remaining portion of the revolution of the eccentric.

For the purpose of adjusting the maximum downward movement of the spring depressed electrode-bar [9, a screw 21 is threaded into a boss 28 formed in the head l2. The upper end of the screw 21 extends through a suitable opening in the upper part of the head and is formed with a screw-driver slot for the purpose of quick adjustment. The screw 27 carries a washer 29 adjustably held in position on the screw 21 by the nuts 30 disposed on opposite sides of the washer. As shown in Fig. 2 the peripheral marginal edge of the washer 29 is arranged to underlie the lower end of the split collar 22 fixed on the bar i9 and the position of the adjustable washer 29 determines the lowest position to which the spring depressed electrode bar l9 may descend.

The standard [0 is rigidly associated withand mounted upon a U-shaped bed including a supporting arm 3 I' (Fig. 1) extending forwardly from the standard, a laterally extending hollow horizontal carrier-arm 32 joined at one end to the forwardly extending arm 3| and carrying at its other end the hollow horizontal work-supporting arm 33 which is joined to and is substantially coplanar with the arm 3| and terminates at its free end below the hollow-head l2. The carrier-arm 32 rises above the level of the arms 31 and 33 and the bottom wall 32' of the carrier-arm (Fig. 2) is disposed slightly below the level of the upper walls of the arms 31 and 33. This construction provides clearance space at the underside of the arm 32 to facilitate handling of the Work.

J ournaled beneath the standard II], in a bearing 34 formed on the forwardly extending arm 3| (Fig. 1), is a short shaft 35 arranged parallel with the main shaft l5. The rotary shaft 15 imparts intermittent step-by-step rotary movement to the shaft 35 through a mechanism comprising an eccentric 36 secured upon the main shaft l5 (Fig. 3), a block 31 surrounding the eccentric, and a connecting rod 38 having its upper forked end 33 engaging the sides of the block 31 and its lower end pivotally connected, at 4|], to a laterally extending arm 4! of a one-way clutch 42 which is secured upon the shaft 35. The clutch 42 is the same as that disclosed in my U. S. Patent No. 2,277,971 of March 31, 1942, to which reference may be had for a detailed description of the internal mechanism of the clutch.

Adjacent its upper end, the connecting rod 33 has pivotally connected to it, at 43, one end of an anchor link 44, the other end of which is pivotally connected at 45 to a normally stationary crankarm 46 having its upper end fulcrumed on the frame of the machine. The free lower end of the crank-arm 4B is provided with an open-ended slot 41 which receives a pin 63, carried by one arm of a feed regulating bell-crank lever 49 fixed on a pivot-stud 53 carried by the standard Ill. The other arm of the bell-crank lever 49 extends laterally to a pointbetween spaced earns 51 and 52 carried by ends of parallel stub shafts 33 and 53 which extend through suitable bearing bosses formed on the standard iii. For the purpose of adjusting the position of thecains i and 52, each of the shafts 53 and 54 has secured to the ends protruding from the standard, knobs t5 and respectively. A tension spring bl has one of its ends anchored to a stud 53 carried by the standard and its other end secured to an arm 5% carried by the pivot-stud Ell. This spring urges the bellcrank lever as in a clockwise direction about its pivot and thus constantly urges the free end of the bell-crank lever t?) against the upper cam 5 i. From the above, it will be understood that an oscillating movement is imparted to the arm 4: of the clutch 42 by the movements of the block 31, which is actuated by the eccentric The back-and-forth movements of the block ll! cause the connecting rod 33 to swing about its pivot 43. Due to the pivotal connection of the anchor link 44 with the connecting rod 38 and to the normally fixed pivot 45, this swinging movement of the connecting rod 33 causes the pivot point 43 to move in an arcuatepath and this movement in turn causes endwise movement of the connecting rod 38, thereby imparting through the arm ii, a step-by-step intermittent rotary motion to the shaft 35. The amount of endwise rotary movement given to the connecting rod 38, and consequently the amount of angular movement given the shaft 35 for each rotation of the main shaft i5, is dependent upon the angular position of the anchor link 33. This position may be changed by shifting the feed-regulating bell-crank lever 49 about its pivot 53, thereby shifting the position of the normally stationary crank-arm 48 about its fulcrum. The above described mechanism for imparting an intermittent step-by-step movement to the shaft 35 and for varying the amount of movement is fully described in the Hacklander Patent No. 2,432,412, dated December 9, 1947, to which reference may be. had for a more detailed disclosure.

Journaled in bearings iii and 52 (Fig. 1) formed in the horizontal arm 32 is a driven shaft which is arranged parallel to but substantially above the level of the stub-shaft 35. A belt pulley 64 grooved transversely of its circumferential face is connected by a belt 65 provided on its inner face with lugs adapted to enter the pulley grooves. This belt extends lengthwise through the forwardly extending arm and is in driving engagement with a similar pulley 66 secured to the shaft 63 adjacent the bearing 6|; the pulleys64 and 66 being of the same size. Secured to the shaft 63, adjacent the bearing 62, is another grooved pulley 61 of the same size as the pulley [i6 and connected by a belt 68 to a grooved pulley 69 secured to a short feed-shaft ll] journaled in and extending transversely of the free end portion of the work-supporting arm 33. The feed-shaft 10 is disposed at substantially the level of the shaft 35, i. e., below the level of the shaft 63. A feed-wheel H carried by the feed-shaft 10 operates through a slot 12 in a cover-plate 93 for the'upper portion of the work-arm 33, and to intermittently advance the material M, cooperateswith the usual presser-roller 13 carried by a spring depressed bar 73' journaled in the hollowhead 12.

Belt-tightening devices are provided for each of the belts 65 and 68. The belt-tightener for the belt 65 is located at the junction of the arms 3| and 32 and in close proximity to the pulley 66. As shown in detail in Fig. 5, it comprises a pulley 74 which engages the outer surface of the upper run of the belt 65, and is rotatably journaled on a shouldered bushing 15, fixed by a set screw 15., on the eccentric portion 16, of an adjustable pin having an enlarged head 1'! formed with a screwdriver slot and extending through a suitable aperture in the side wall 3 IA of the arm 3|. The other end of the pin is formed with a reduced end portion 18 which is arranged concentric with the enlarged head 11 and enters a suitable aperture in the other side wall MB of the arm 3| (Fig. 5). In order to prevent the pulley 14 from sliding laterally on the bushing 15, a collar 79 is secured by a set screw 83 to the eccentric portion 16 of the pin adjacent the pulley 74. From the above it will be understood that the lockingscrew 8| may be backed off, the screw driver inserted in the slot in the head 74 and the pin turned so asto adjust the eccentric portion 16 and pulley l4 relative to the belt 65.

The belt-tightener for the belt 68 is located at the junction of the arms 32 and 33 and in closeproximity to the pulley 57. This belt-tighterier is substantially the same as the one previously described and, as shown in Fig. 4, comprises a pulley 83 journaled on a bushing 83 carried by the eccentric portion 85 of an adjustable pin having an enlarged head 86 and a reduced end portion 8'! rotatably mounted in the opposite vertical walls of the hollow work-supporting arm 33.

The elevated disposition of the shaft 63 in the raised carrier-arm 32, with respect to the levels-of the shafts 35 and iii, provides for efiicient operation of the belt-tighteners 14 and 83.

A lower stationary electrode 90 (Fig. 2) is mounted on an insulating block 9| secured on a lug 92 formed in the free end of the work-supporting arm 33. The electrode 99 extends through a suitable opening in the cover-plate 93 and cooperates with an upper electrode 94 carried by the reciprocating bar I9. In order to provide a high-frequency field between the electrodes 90 and 94 a conventional high-frequency electron tube oscillator (not shown) operating at a frequency of from 30 to megacycles is connected by a coaxial cable'to a receptacle 96 (Fig. 1) secured to the arm 3 I.

The center post of the receptacle 96 is connected by a conductor 9! to one terminal of a variable condenser 98. The other terminal ID! of this condenser is connected to ground through the inductance coil 99 and conductor I00. Also connected to terminal IUI is the centerconductor I02 of a vcoaxialcable l03located in the hollow horizontal arm 32 and terminating in the forwardly extending arm 33. The center conductor I02 at the terminating end of the cable is connected to a common junction of inductance I04, I04 mounted on an insulating block I05 carried by and located within the arm 33. Inductance I04 is connected to a common ground I06 with the outer conductor of the cable I03. Inductance I04 is connected to the lower electrode 90 by means of a conductor I01. As the machine frame is grounded, the upper electrode 94 being in contact with said frame is also at ground potential and, therefore, a radio-frequency field is established in the region between the electrodes.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A machine for bonding together plies of dielectric material comprising, a frame having a standard carrying an overhanging bracket-arm terminating in a head and a bed including a supporting arm extending forwardly from the standard, a carrier arm extending laterally from said supporting arm parallel to said bracket-arm, and a work-arm extending from said carrier arm parallel to said supporting arm and having its free end disposed beneath said head, a first electrode reciprocably mounted in said head, a main shaft journaled in said bracket-arm, operative connections between said shaft and said electrode to impart reciprocation to said electrode upon rotation of said shaft, a second electrode carried at the free end of said work-arm and opposed to said first electrode, means for establishing a radio frequency field between said electrodes, a feed-wheel journaled in said work-arm on an axis transverse to the length thereof, a first pulley secured to said feed-wheel, and means for imparting intermittent rotary motion to said feedwheel in timed relation to the reciprocation of said first electrode comp-rising a second pulley journaled adjacent the base of said standard, an

intermediate shaft journaled longitudinally in said carrier arm, pulleys secured to the ends of said intermediate shaft, operative connections between said main shaft and said second pulley to impart intermittent rotation to said second pulley upon rotation of said main shaft, a first belt running longitudinally of the supporting arm entrained about said second pulley and the pulley on the adjacent end of the intermediate shaft, and a second belt running longitudinally of the,

work-arm entrained about said first pulley and the other pulley on the intermediate shaft.

2. A machine in accordance with claim 1 in which the bottom of said carrier-arm is disposed at substantially the vertical levels of the tops of g the supporting arm and the work arm, and'the HANS HACKLANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,056,358 Ringe Mar. 18, 1913 1,229,256 Gurley June 12, 1917 1,999,978 Myers Apr. 30, 1935 2,432,412 Hacklander Dec. 9, 1947 2,458,059 Christensen et a1. Jan. 4, 1949 2,472,820 Graham et a1 June 14, 1949 2,526,479 Hohmann Oct. 1'7, 1950 

